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Safety Law News for June 30th, 2020

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— In Illinois, the Chicago Board of Education rejected a motion to remove Chicago police officers from the schools.  The district also implemented a formal complaint process. Complaints against SROs will go to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates claims of police misconduct.

— In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the debate about whether police officers should be in the schools will pick up again with the Edmonton Public School Board chair asking for a do-over.  Previously, the Board voted to suspend the SRO program while conducting a review of the role of the officers in protecting students.  A dissenting trustee who wants officers on campus to act as a deterrent, has resigned from the Board.

— In Massachusetts, School Committee members for the Haverhill Public Schools District unanimously voted down the request of the mayor to remove its school resource officer.  The mayor wants to reallocate the funds to bring an additional school adjustment counselor into the system.

— In California, officials in Oakland voted unanimously to eliminate the Oakland school police force.  The district will hire more social workers, psychologists and restorative justice practitioners.

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Safety Law News for June 26, 2020

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— In New York,  the Syracuse City School District is discussing police reform.  Police Chief Kenton Buckner has said he’d like to remove police from schools.  Mayor Ben Walsh is open to the idea.

— In Colorado, officials in the St. Vrain Valley confirmed their intention to continue the district’s school resource officer program.  “We are committed to continuing the SRO program in St. Vrain,” school board President Joie Siegrist said. “There isn’t data that would support that the program is harmful or discriminatory.”

— In Vermont, the Burlington School Board voted to continue the district’s school resource officer program.  The decision stipulates that the police must collaborate with the board and district to make adjustments to what role the officers play this upcoming school year. 

— In Minnesota, the Saint Paul Public Schools joined a wave of school districts in the state in voting to remove its school resource officers from their schools.  Officials in Winona and Minneapolis have already done so.

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Safety Law News for June 23, 2020

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— In Massachusetts and Washington State, school officials are coming out against recommendations to cancel the school resource officer program.  The educators say, “our school resource officers are just that—a wonderful resource to our students and our staff. They make connections with kids and uplift our school communities.”

— In California,  the San Francisco Board of Education announced a resolution to break its current relationship with the San Francisco Police Department.  The resolution, to be voted on, calls for the termination of the contract with the police, directs district staff to limit their reliance on officers and would redirect all money associated with the police into health and wellness programs.

— In Kentucky, the Lincoln County Board of Education voted to renew and expand its school resource officers program.  The new agreement will deploy an additional officer to its elementary schools.

— In Oregon, students enrolled in the Portland Public Schools have created a petition calling on the school board to keep its school resource officer program.  The petition has gotten more than 500 signatures.

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Safety Law News for June 19, 2020

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— In Alaska,  the superintendent of the Anchorage School District plans to maintain its school resource officer program.  School officials believe that the police officers develop a professional but human connection with both the students and staff, connections which are critical to building a foundation of mutual trust.”

— In New Mexico, the City of Roswell is ending its school police program.  City officials say it is part of the effects of a $35 million budget shortfall and the need to save money or bring in new revenue.

— In Oregon, the board for the Eugene 4J School District has decided to eliminate school resource officers from their buildings next year.  The program will end in December 2020.  School officials promised to include with the community to identify alternatives to school resource officers.   

— In New York, officials in the City of Rochester is ending its school police program.   The city has not given a reason for the its decision.

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Safety Law News for June 17, 2020

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— In Florida, the Osceola County School Board renewed its SRO program with the Kissimmee Police Department, St. Cloud Police Department and the Osceola County School Board for School Resource Officers.  The cost to the school district is roughly $3 million, and it’s money the state mandates is spent after the 2018 school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School.

— In Illinois, three Chicago aldermen will introduce an ordinance to remove Chicago police officers from Chicago Public Schools. The proposed ordinance would also prohibit the city and the police superintendent from entering into any future school security agreements with CPS.

— In Canada, Waterloo Region District School Board, in southeastern Ontario is suspending the School Resource Officer Program for the foreseeable future.  The board will conduct a review of the program in the autumn of 2020.  Therefore, there will be no police in schools once they start back up.

— In Minnesota, the Minneapolis Public Schools have terminated the suspending the School Resource Officer Program with the Police Department over George Floyd’s death.

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Safety Law News for June 9th, 2020

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— In Wisconsin, the teachers union for the Madison Metropolitan School District is calling for school resource officers to be removed from schools.  The union released a statement that represents “a shift in our previous position regarding SROs.”  The new emphasis is on providing schools with counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses and mental health specialists.

— In Oregon,  public school officials are planning to revise the resources dedicated to school safety.  The theme is to move away from deploying police officers to campuses.

— In Colorado, the school board for the Denver Public Schools has announced that they have the votes to approve a new school safety policy that emphasizes mental health supports, restorative justice school discipline, and counselors.  The new policy will mean the termination of the contract between the Denver Police Department and the school district.

— In Illinois, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is resisting public demands for removing Chicago police officers from the public schools.  The mayor says she has no plans to remove the police because “we need security in our schools…[and] we spent a lot of time a year ago working through the challenges that we have seen with police officers in schools.”